The present invention relates generally to a control apparatus for controlling manufacturing system and a method of controlling a manufacturing system and, more particularly, to an apparatus for and a method of controlling a remote conveyance of a flexible manufacturing system (FMS) with displaying a system status information.
In general, the FMS is constructed of a numerical controlled machine tool, a conveying device and a numerical controller, etc. Then, the numerical controlled machine tool is controlled based on manufacturing data such as a working order, part numbers and the number of workpieces provided from the numerical controller. Herein, data needed when conveying the workpiece on the basis of the manufacturing data, are displayed on a display screen in a handling station, and an operator selects an item from a content of the display screen, thereby executing the remote conveyance.
In the remote conveyance in the prior art FMS, specifically the following operations are implemented.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing operations of the remote conveyance in the prior art FMS.
First of all, when starting up a manual conveying function (step S201), a system status display is displayed on a display unit in the FMS (step S203).
FIG. 6 shows one example of display contents of the conventional system status display screen displayed in step S203.
Herein, [Setting], [Data Management], [Operation Management], [Achievement Management], [Maintenance], [Help] etc. are displayed by way of a menu 51 in an upper part on the screen, and can be selected by properly clicking it by a mouse etc. Further, a [Scheduled Operation] 52 is [Off-line], and a [Mode] 53 is [Manned]. Moreover, [YY-MM-DD] (Year/Month/Date) data 54 is displayed. Further, in FIG. 6, an arrangement station #1 indicates [Standby].
Furthermore, a box 55 containing pallet numbers 1-16 for the respective pallets is displayed, and arrangement stations 56 (#1, #2) and working devices 57 (MC#1, MC#2) are displayed.
Herein, when properly selecting an item of [Setting] etc. in the menu 51 (step S205), a window for setting is displayed (step S207).
FIG. 7 shows one example of display contents of a conventional setting screen.
This setting screen 60 is displayed as a window overlapped on the system status display screen which has previously been displayed. Displayed on this setting screen are a pallet number setting area 61, conveying location setting areas 62, 63, and a conveyance mode setting area 64, which are selectable by a mouse etc. Further, a remote conveyance indication area 65 in which the set data are displayed, is also provided. Moreover, in addition to the [Registration] button 66, respective buttons for [Deletion], [Help] and [End] are provided.
Herein, to start with, a number of a pallet to be carried is selected in the pallet number setting area 61 (step S209). Then, an item of conveying location data indicating a location from and/or to which the selected pallet should be carried is set in the conveying location setting area [From] 62 and/or the conveying location setting area [To] 63 (step S211). Further, a conveying mode setting area 64 is set as the necessity arises. When the settings described above are effectuated, respective items of data are displayed in the remote conveyance indication area 65. In this example, there is indicated an operation of taking the pallet marked with the pallet number 1 out of a stocker and conveying this pallet. Note that the process is in an unselected status as to where the pallet should be carried.
The operator confirms a content of the display of the remote conveyance indication area 65 and, when the setting is finished, pushes the [Registration] button 66 (step S213). If this conveyance is possible (step S215), the setting contents are written to a file (step S217). Whereas if the conveyance is impossible (step S215), an error is displayed (step S219).
With these operations, the single indication of the remote conveyance is registered, and the carrying is thus started.
According to the prior art operating method, however, the setting screen as shown in FIG. 7 is displayed overlapped on the system display screen, and hence the system status display on which statuses of the respective devices and a working state of the workpiece are displayed, is hard to see, resulting in such a problem that it is incapable of appropriately monitor the system.